Alameda’s school board to discuss solar plan

Should Alameda’s schools go solar? School board members will discuss the merits of moving forward with a plan to install solar panels atop Alameda’s public schools Tuesday night.

Proponents of the plan say it would further Alameda Unified’s efforts to go green while eliminating millions of dollars in power costs. But schools administrators are saying the plan is preliminary and that they are nowhere near ready to move forward on it.

The plan, which was created by Kyoto USA, says it would cost the district $14.6 million to install solar panels at all of its schools and another $2 million to maintain them over 20 years. The district would save $18.2 million over the first two decades the panels are in place, offsetting those costs, proponents of the plan say.

Members of Community Action for a Sustainable Alameda, which has been spearheading the effort to put the plan in place, are calling on the school board to include it in a facilities bond the board is considering for the November ballot and also, its just-approved facilities master plan. The board is expected to decide Tuesday night whether to move forward with a bond.